Drabble Me This
by flipomatic
Summary: A bang dream drabble collection. Most Recent: The rest of their bandmates hadn't arrived yet. They probably got distracted by a cat or a chocolate coronet, Arisa thought as she started a scale. She could handle being alone with Kasumi until they arrived; she often was.
1. Sleeping Bags - YukiLisa

Author Note: This is the start of what will hopefully be a long and prosperous drabble collection. The prompt was camping.

* * *

The whistling sound of wind tickled Lisa's ears, bringing with it a slight chill. She fought off a shiver, adjusting her shoulders a bit to get more comfortable. Her sleeping bag, though graded for temperatures as low as 50 degrees, wasn't quite enough for genuine comfort or warmth.

Her muscles ached from a day of camping, of spending time with her bandmates. Roselia had gone camping, mostly by Lisa's insistence, in order to increase their bond and help them perform with more unity. Though it required a clever excuse to get the whole band into the wilderness, Lisa thought it had been worth it.

Sayo had proven surprisingly competent at starting fires, while Ako and Rinko managed to set up the tent somehow. Yukina set some sticks on fire by accident while they were making dinner, but luckily Lisa was able to get them back into the fire where they belonged. No one was hurt, so they didn't get thrown out of the campsite. They made smores with chocolate and marshmallow; it was nice.

The sun soon started to set and, though the lopsided tent wasn't ideal, the group settled down in it for the night.

Lisa lay on her side, back pressed against the wall of the tent. If she leaned on it fully, it felt like the whole tent could come down around them, which was a problem. Even so, she supposed she didn't have the worst spot in the tent; that honor went to Sayo along the bottom of the others' feet. The zipper that functioned as a door was above her head, with Yukina, Rinko, and then Ako to her right.

They managed to fit somehow, but not without the entire side of Lisa's sleeping bag being pressed against Yukina's. It was a snug feeling, being between Yukina and the tent. She could even see the outline of Yukina in the dark, barely visible with the sliver of moonlight shining in.

The evening was still a cold one though. The chill seemed to seep in from the tent wall, absorbing itself into her sleeping bag. Lisa would be fine though; she could sleep through this. If only she could manage to fall asleep that is.

Lisa closed her eyes, shifting again. A bird chirped in the distance. Sayo let out a soft snore. Ako muttered something about darkness. Lisa wondered how much time had passed since the last time she checked, which was around 1:00 am.

Eyes open once again, slightly more adjusted to the dark since they'd been shut for a while, Lisa settled for looking at Yukina. She always looked so calm while asleep, so gentle compared to her usual stern expressions. Even now, sleeping on the cold hard ground, she looked, well, actually she didn't look so good.

Yukina was lying on her back, eyes closed and brow furrowed slightly. Lisa had to sit up to get a good look at her. Her arms were bunched up with the sleeping bag near the top, small fists clenching the fabric. Was she okay?

As if she could sense Lisa's gaze, or if she wasn't asleep to begin with, Yukina's eyes fluttered open. She turned her head to look at Lisa.

"You okay?" Lisa leaned in, whispering as to not wake the others.

Yukina turned onto her side to face Lisa better. "Just a little cold." It was hard to believe that someone with such a big voice could produce so small a whisper. "I'm fine."

Yukina was cold too? Lisa thought it had just been her, since she had the outside of the tent to deal with. If Yukina was cold too then, Lisa felt a bit warmer already at the thought, there was only one solution.

Lisa turned her sleeping bag so that the zipper was on the right and unzipped it slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. She stopped when she reached the bottom. During the process, Yukina sat up to watch.

"Scoot over here." Lisa pat the edge of her unzipped bag. Yukina inched towards her unquestioningly, though there was barely any space between them to start. "Now turn your bag so the zipper is here." Lisa gestured for the zipper to go between the open parts of her bag.

As before, Yukina followed through. She seemed to have caught onto what Lisa was trying to do, since she scooted in closer and started unzipping the bag once it was in place.

The result was two overlapping unzipped sleeping bags, which certainly was not the intended use for them, but it could work.

Lisa lay back down, with Yukina doing the same. It certainly felt warmer, though that might've been her own embarrassment at doing this at all. It was easier to see Yukina than before, her gold eyes reflecting the moonlight.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the final step.

"Come a little closer." Lisa lay her left arm down, lifting the joined part of the sleeping bag with her right.

"Are you sure?" This Yukina questioned of all things.

Lisa felt flushed, hopefully Yukina couldn't see it in the dark. "Of course, you'll be warm this way." She said perhaps a bit too loudly.

Yukina nodded and acquiesced, moving in to lie right next to Lisa. She gently draped one arm over Lisa's waist, sending a whole different kind of shiver down Lisa's spine. Lisa wrapped her right arm around Yukina, hand resting on her back. Their faces were barely a few inches apart, and Lisa had to remind herself to breath.

Yukina felt so incredibly warm against her, their legs almost touching, her body on Lisa's arm and hand on her waist. Each point of contact radiated warmth through her body. The cold of the evening air was almost completely forgotten.

"Goodnight." Yukina muttered, letting out a small yawn.

"G'night." Lisa smiled softly at the cute gesture, feeling her own eyelids drooping.

Yukina's eyes closed first, and Lisa could feel her breathing even out as she fell deeper into slumber.

Lisa soon followed, succumbing to the warmth of sleep.


	2. Cooking With Yukina - Yukina focus

Author Note: I couldn't help myself, the yukilisa discord has been a bad influence on me.

* * *

When Yukina's parents left for the evening, they asked if she would be alright by herself. Yukina insisted that she would be fine, no they didn't need to call Lisa because she could manage being alone for a few hours, and yes she would figure out something to eat.

Yukina had passed the time since then by working on her homework for school. She had a whole page of math problems to solve, which took quite a long time and required a lot of focused effort.

At around 6:00 her stomach gave an unappealing rumble, pulling her away from her homework and into the kitchen. Though Yukina told her parents she'd find something for dinner, she struggled with actually cooking things. The last time she'd tried to help Lisa, she ended up peeling away over half a potato. Not to mention when she set some pasta on fire.

Yukina opened up the cabinets, looking for something that didn't need to be cooked. A small plastic packet caught her eye, which she recognized as instant ramen. It was the kind that's boiled on the stove. Figuring that even she with her lack of skills could manage to make such a simple food, Yukina grabbed it from the shelf.

She also acquired a large pot, about 12 inches in diameter, and a spoon. Yukina used the sink to fill the pot with about an inch of water, since she couldn't possibly drink more soup than that, and placed it on the electric stovetop. Next, she dumped in the brick of noodles and the accompanied powder. She stirred the powder in with the spoon, and though it didn't all dissolve she figured it would once she heated it.

Once she turned the stove up to eight, which would heat the water quickly, she set the stove timer for ten minutes. That would probably be a good time to come check it, since she could break the noodles up then too.

Satisifed, Yukina retreated back to her homework. Little did she know that she had a crucial mistake.

She didn't hit start on the timer.

Yukina hummed a bit to herself as she resumed doing math problems. She had done about half and was feeling confident in her ability to solve them. As she calculated, she didn't think about how much time had passed; she trusted the timer to alert her.

When there were only a couple problems left, Yukina lifted her head for a moment. She smelled something; it could only be described as odd. Something burning perhaps?

Uh oh.

Yukina looked at her phone to see the time. The numbers 6:52 flashed up at her. She ditched her math homework, dropped her phone, and, as calmly as possible, scurried to the kitchen.

The sight of smoke rising from the pot awaited her. She quickly shut off the stovetop, noting that the timer on it still read ten minutes. The burnt smell was stronger here, rising up from the pot. Yukina wafted the smoke away with one hand, peeking into the mess.

Though Yukina had put water in the pot, it had all since evaporated. What remained was a layer of instant ramen flavoring, burnt into black chunks. The block of noodles, still together but not as shapely, sat in the middle of the pot and looked okay on the top.

Well, this was an unmitigated disaster, Yukina thought as she pulled the pot off the stove. It clearly couldn't be eaten now and she would be a fool to try. She took it to the sink and placed it inside, putting a few inches of water in so she could clean it and hopefully no-one would ever know.

For some reason, the noodle block didn't float up with the water. Yukina stuck one hand in to try and move it and was able to remove the top layer of noodles. The bottom layer, on the other hand, wouldn't move. The noodles were actually burned to the bottom of the pot.

Yukina sighed. She poured some dish soap into the mix, deciding to let it soak for a bit an try again after she finished the math problems. She dried her hands off and canceled the failed timer.

After that, she headed back to her work. Yukina picked her phone up off the ground, pulling up a familiar contact. She opened up the long running text conversations with Lisa, typing in a message.

"Are you free tonight?"

Yukina sent the text.

* * *

End note: Is this from experience? No. Even I am not this bad at cooking. I have failed to set a timer on a stove before though, but I noticed before anything bad happened.


	3. Party Member - AkoRinko

Author Note: I couldn't fully call it a collection until there were 3. This drabble collection will slow down a bit now, thank you everybody who has read and commented so far! The only mmo I've played for any amount of time is ffxiv, so a lot of my mmo knowledge comes from that. This takes place about one year pre-canon.

* * *

When she wasn't practicing piano or doing homework, Rinko spent her time playing video games. She particularly enjoyed mmo games, which was short for massive multiplayer online games. It required strong internet and a subscription, but her parents supported her hobbies.

Helping out the townspeople was one of Rinko's favorite parts of the game. They were easier to handle than other players, always giving her easy to understand instructions and reacting positively to her efforts.

As for other players, Rinko didn't talk to them much. When her parents purchased the game, they warned her against talking to strangers online. They didn't really need to have bothered, Rinko would think as she saw another player dancing in the main plaza, she couldn't possibly approach a stranger anyway. Each time she tried her fingers would freeze on the keyboard, message half typed, unable to hit enter.

Even so, some parts of the game still needed to be completed with others. Specifically, that meant dungeons. Despite not talking with anyone, Rinko played as a healer. She cast buffs to protect the others and healed them if they were wounded. It was a terrible feeling when someone died, and even when she revived them she struggled to respond to their words of gratitude.

Without in game friends, RInko often joined the random queue for dungeons. It would match her with two dps heroes and a tank. The whole group would then be thrown in to a dungeon, which usually took around an hour.

One day, after waiting a couple minutes in the random queue, Rinko was matched with a group for one of the mid game dungeons. She had run it before, but was looking for a specific piece of loot. It had a high drop chance, so she could probably get it in just a few runs.

The dungeon loaded quickly, Rinko being transported to the starting point with the others. Almost immediately, a message appeared in a party chat box in the lower left corner.

Dgwk963: hey everybody!

A glance at the party list told Rinko that this user was their tank. They were using a female avatar, one decked out in black plated armor and wielding a sword and giant shield.

Dgwk963: im so excite for this dungeon! its so dark and mysterious!

Rinko wondered how that username was supposed to be pronounced. Without any vowels it wasn't even a real word.

Dgwk963: have you run it before?

Yes, Rinko answered in her mind, she had run the dungeon before. She clicked the text box, typed in the word, then stopped.

Her hand hovered over the enter key. Was she really going to reply to this message? Who was this person? What would they say in response? What if they asked her to carry them through the dungeon? Did she really want to talk with them? Rinko pulled her hand back.

But wait, another small part of her thought, what's the worst thing that could happen? They quit the dungeon? Another player would just be matched in. It's polite to respond, especially since it's a simple yes or no question.

Rinko replaced her hand on the enter key, fingers shaking as if she'd just finished performing a difficult sonata, and pressed the key.

Pppshiro: Yes

Rinko's internal dilemma had barely taken a few seconds, but the others had already left the starting spot. As she rushed after them, a response came.

Dgwk963: thats so cool!

Dgwk963: this area looks so great!

She had already responded once, where was the harm in responding again? She still took a deep breath before tapping the enter key.

Pppshiro: I agree

As the group moved through the dungeon, their tank continued to message in the chat. Rinko found herself more at ease as the dungeon went on, responding in longer sentences and with less hesitation at each sent line of text. She even asked how to pronounce their username, which they said was udagawa963. That didn't really make sense to Rinko, but to each their own she supposed.

They soon reached the final boss, with their tank expressing amazement at its design. As cool as it was, it soon fell to the group's efforts. A notification flashed on Rinko's screen; the item she wanted had dropped on the first run.

She smiled, dismissing the notification. The two dps members left quickly, but the tank stayed behind to say goodbye. The smile slipped off Rinko's face as she bid the other player farewell, watching as they left the dungeon.

Rinko was the last to leave, teleporting back to where she'd been before. She opened her inventory and equipped her spoils, admiring the new item. The chat box, remaining from the dungeon, brought her eye back to it in the corner. The conversation she'd had, one that she'd been able to hold without panicking, was still there.

She clicked the user's name, Dgwk963, and pulled up their profile. They'd been playing for a month or so, weren't in a guild, and didn't have many achievements. But their account was still young, so that was expected.

There was a box on the screen that said, "send friend request." Rinko hovered her mouse cursor over it, again asking herself questions.

She'd held a conversation with this person; they seemed nice. That could've been a façade though. What if she sent the request and they tracked her down in game to turn her down? It was unlikely, but it could happen.

But none of the bad things she'd imagined earlier had happened when she replied to the chat message. Maybe something good would happen; maybe they would accept her friend request.

A notification pinged while she was thinking, drawing a surprised gasp from Rinko.

"Dgwk963 has sent you a friend request" popped up in the upper right corner of her screen. Rinko clicked the notification, opening the request.

It was a standard friend request, with a button to accept or decline as well as a blurb written by the sender.

"you were really cool!" Was what the blurb said.

Rinko didn't hesitate to hit accept.

* * *

End Note: So for Ako's username I took her full name, got rid of the vowels, and added some numbers. Rinko's is a music pun, ppp is pianissimo, the softest dynamic in music, but quieter, along with the beginning of her last name.


	4. Two Weeks - Lisa & Sayo FriendshipTgSy

Author Note: I was riffing with Bax and trying to get her to write this. She refused so here I am. This did not turn out as initially imagined.

* * *

Lisa finished putting away the coins, wishing the customer a nice day as they left the store. Her shift started about half an hour ago, and she was manning the counter alone while her coworker restocked one of the shelves. Business had been slow so far, but it would pick up in the next couple hours.

"Lisa-saaaan." Moca popped out from around the corner of the aisle. "Wanna hear some gossip?"

"Did you finish the shelving?" Lisa asked, crossing her arms.

Moca approached the counter, leaning on it once she arrived. "No, not yet." She admitted flatly.

"Then get back to it." Moving one hand in a shooing motion, Lisa tried to get Moca back to work.

"This is waaaaaay better than that dusty food." The other teen didn't budge. "Besides, there'll be more people here later so I won't get to share."

Moca did make a good point. If Lisa had to wait for her to finish stocking, which, knowing Moca would take way longer than needed, the store would certainly be busy by then.

She let out a resigned sigh. "Okay, let's hear it." Who was she to turn down good gossip anyway.

Moca leaned farther over the counter, eyebrows waggling. "So Moca-chan heard…" She drew it out dramatically. "That Tsugu got to second base last night." That sure did sound like gossip.

"Good for her, I guess." Sure Lisa was acquaintances with Tsugumi, but was this really so urgent that it had to be shared during work? "With who?" She asked, wondering if it was another member of Afterglow.

"Ehhhh?" Moca's eyebrows shot up. "Lisa-san doesn't know?" She asked incredulously.

"How would I know without you telling me?" Lisa pointed out, eyebrows furrowed.

"It's Sayo-san." Moca stood up from her leaning with a firm nod.

What? "No way, Sayo would've…" Would Sayo have told her? No, probably not. She tended to keep to herself, especially in personal manners. Still, Lisa hoped Sayo would tell her about these kinds of things. "How long?"

"Moca-chan's known for a couple weeks." Moca shrugged. "Just assumed that you knew."

"Wow." Lisa shook her head, chuckling a little. "Two whole weeks then, can't believe I didn't notice." Though, she thought, Sayo had been leaving practice quickly after it ended for a while now. It was probably to meet with Tsugumi. Of course, this could still just be gossip. There was only one way to find out for sure. "Could you mind the counter for a few minutes, I need to make a call."

"Aye aye." Moca gave a mock salute. She walked around the side to take Lisa's place, allowing Lisa to retreat to the back room.

Lisa pulled out her cell phone, opened the contacts, and selected the one person who could answer her questions. There were a bunch of potential reasons why Sayo didn't tell her. Maybe she didn't feel comfortable talking to Lisa at all, which would be disappointing after being in a band together for so long. Some people had issues with same-sex relationships, but Lisa thought she'd been pretty clear on her stance on those so that shouldn't be the issue. Why didn't Sayo tell her? There was of course a chance that they weren't really dating at all; Moca did have a tendency to exaggerate.

She hit dial.

The phone rang a couple times before being answered. "Hello?" Sayo's voice came through clearly.

"Hey Sayo!" Lisa spoke cheerfully to not disturb her. "This is Lisa, do you have a minute?"

"Yes." The strategy seemed to have worked, considering Sayo didn't immediately hang up. "What it is?"

"I heard something today, maybe you can confirm or deny it." Lisa tried to ease into it, but failed. "Are you dating Tsugumi?"

The line was silent for a moment. "Who told you?" Sayo's voice came back quiet and subdued.

"Moca did." Lisa admitted. "But I wanted to hear it from you."

"I…" Sayo stumbled for words, the line going silent.

Lisa waited, but when Sayo didn't say anything else she decided to speak. "It's been a whole two weeks, I can't believe nobody noticed."

"…four weeks." Sayo's voice came feebly through the phone.

"I'm sorry?" Lisa asked.

"It's been four weeks since Hazawa-san and I started dating." There was strength now, and a bit of bite.

"Wow, four weeks…" Lisa mused out loud. "I guess, thinking about it, I can understand why you didn't say anything, but it still would've been nice to know." Though Lisa understood the reasons for not sharing, it still frustrated her to find out the way she did.

"I didn't say anything at first because I didn't want the band to bother her." Sayo hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I was planning on telling you, but every time I tried the words just wouldn't come out." Lisa recalled Sayo asking her to talk the previous week but only saying never mind. "The more time passed the harder it became."

The frustration Lisa felt melted away. "That's okay Sayo." She said softly. "You're telling me now."

"You forced the subject." Sayo scoffed. "Anyway, aren't you working right now?"

"Moca's covering at the moment, but you're right I better get back."

"Okay. I suppose we could talk more later, if you'd like?" Sayo said it as if it was a question.

"Talk to you later, Sayo." Lisa smiled.

"Goodbye." Sayo hung up the line, causing it to go dead against Lisa's ear.

Well, she thought, that could've gone a whole lot worse.


	5. What Would Onee-chan Do? - Sayo & Hina

Author Note: I feel like I've said this before, but I actually have an identical twin. We get along much better than the Hikawa twins do.

* * *

Sayo sat in the common area of the house, perched on the couch to do her homework. For the moment she was reading part of "Call of the Wild" for her literature course. She always did the reading for school, but this particular book had her hooked. It combined something she loved, dogs, with gloomy wilderness survival, conflict, and fear of failure.

She oddly didn't notice Hina standing a foot away until her sister spoke.

"Onee-chan!" Hina called for her at way too loud a volume considering how close she was. The other girl was supposed to be in her room packing, since her band was going on a trip later that day to an island. They were recording a show for the band or something; Sayo wasn't sure about the details. "If you could take only one thing to a deserted island, what would you take?" She asked at almost the same volume as before.

Sayo looked up from her book slowly, placing the bookmark between the pages and shutting it. "You don't need to be so loud. Why do you ask?"

Hina responded at an appropriate volume. "We get to bring one personal item to the island, but I don't know what to bring." She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet. "So I thought I'd ask you!" She beamed.

Couldn't hurt to answer then, Sayo thought, it might even get Hina out of the house faster. What would she bring though, it was tough to decide. Something sentimental like her guitar? No, there was no use for it on a deserted island. A more practical item then?

"I'd bring a knife." Sayo decided on, saying it resolutely. "It's a very versatile tool." She could do all sorts of things with a good knife, such as hunting, marking landmarks, cutting open fruit, and various other tasks.

"A knife huh…" Hina tilted her head as she considered the item. "Thanks Onee-chan, that's a big help!" She turned to head back to her room, leaving Sayo to her reading.

Sayo returned to her book with a chuckle once as her sister vanished into her room. There was no way Hina would bring a knife; she was too sentimental to not pack something with emotional value.

She resumed from where she left off, continuing the harrowing journey of Buck as he tried to survive sled dog life. Twenty whole pages passed before Hina popped back out of her room.

"We're meeting at the studio and then taking a bus." Hina carried a small suitcase, filled with what Sayo hoped was enough clothes to last the trip. "I'm heading out!"

"Have fun." Sayo called after her, flipping to the next page. She was halfway through the motion when she stopped. "Hey Hina," she tried to sound casual, calm, and collected. "What did you end up taking for your personal item?" She was too curious not to ask.

"Oh!" Hina spun around with excitement in her eyes. "Let me show you!" She dug one hand into her pants pocket, pulling out what looked like a lanyard. Once she closed some of the distance between herself and Sayo, Sayo was able to see that it contained a photo of… was that her?

"Is that a picture of me?" Even though she could see it clearly, she still had to ask.

"Of course!" Hina nodded firmly.

Sayo fought back a grimace, but failed. "Why though?" She asked, unable to resist the urge.

"With this picture, I can pretend you're there with me." Hina stowed the photo back in her pocket as if that explained everything.

"Isn't that silly?" To Sayo it was.

Hina shook her head. "No, I don't think so. 'cuz I'll be lonely without you." Her grin softened into more of a regular smile. "And, if I get lost in the jungle or don't know what to do, I can ask it 'what would Onee-chan do?' and I'll figure it out!" Sayo was right before; Hina was way too sentimental to just bring a knife.

It wasn't like Sayo hadn't expected the reason to be sweet but still, she couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"Best of luck to your band." Sayo said, waving one hand in a dismissal.

"Thanks!" Hina almost leapt back towards the door. "Aya-chan's so nervous, but I think we're gonna do great!" She scooped her suitcase back up, pausing in the door for one last farewell. "Bye Onee-chan!"

"Bye." Sayo responded quietly as the door clicked shut. Immediately it was peaceful and quiet.

Sayo hadn't even closed the book since Hina came out, so it was easy to resume. Hopefully Hina's wilderness experience would be better than Buck's, she thought as she flipped to the next page.

At least her picture would be watching over her.


	6. Can you feel this? - TsuguSayo

Author Note: Muffins are one of the only things I know how to bake from scratch, hence the muffins in this drabble. This is my first piece for fictober and I will be updating this collection with any bandori drabbles I write for it.

* * *

Sayo mixed the batter slowly, her arm aching dully from exertion. It felt like she'd been stirring it for hours, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes.

She already missed the electric mixer, which had done the job for most of the adventure so far. However, once all of the flour was added to the muffin mix it was too thick for the electronic whisks to handle. That left Sayo with a large spoon grasped in one hand, the other clinging to the side of the bowl to hold it in place.

Tsugumi, her guide on this journey, stood to Sayo's left side. She was looking at the recipe on the table, confirming that they'd used the correct amount of ingredients.

"Are you sure we didn't use too much flour?" It certainly was everywhere; on Sayo's face, stuck to her clothes, spread around the table. Maybe Sayo lifted the blender a few centimeters too high while blending in the flour, but she was improving every day.

Tsugumi shook her head. "No, the recipe calls for two cups, and we doubled it so four is correct."

"Alright." Sayo kept stirring, though it felt more like folding. "How do I know when it's ready." She found that to be her biggest obstacle in baking; it was so hard to tell when something was done.

"You'll be able to feel it." Tsugumi leaned in towards the bowl, looking down at it. "And you won't see any flour around the edges or in the middle anymore."

There was still flour showing, so Sayo kept stirring. Another minute passed and the ache in her arm intensified.

"Okay, I think it's good now." Sayo finally said. She didn't see any more flour and the mixture kind of felt smooth. "Can you feel this?" She asked, releasing the spoon in the batter and pushing the bowl towards Tsugumi.

"Sure!" The more experienced baker took the bowl, holding it with what looked like practiced ease. She moved the spoon through it much more quickly than Sayo had been. "You did a good job Sayo-san."

"Only due to your great tutelage, Hazawa-san." Sayo replied seriously. She greatly appreciated Tsugumi's help with this.

Tsugumi's cheeks flushed slightly as she stopped stirring mid stroke. "Well thank you, but you did all the work today. I only brought the recipe." She lifted the spoon out of the batter, tapping it against the side of the bowl to dislodge any stuck globs. "Anyway, time to put them in the oven."

Sayo looked over at the oven, which had been preheated before they started mixing ingredients. She grabbed the cupcake pan from where it sat off to the side and dusted off the flour, setting out disposable muffin cups in each available spot. While she did so, Tsugumi grabbed a small measuring cup.

She held it out to Sayo. "Here, you should do it."

"Okay." Sayo said with more confidence than she felt. She took the small cup, which turned out to be a one quarter cup measuring cup, and scooped the batter slowly. Each movement was made with precision and only a couple drops of batter hit between the baking cups.

Once that was done, Sayo carefully opened the oven and deposited the tray inside. She closed it and set the time for eleven minutes as prescribed by the recipe.

"How will I know when they're done?" Even though the recipe called for a specific amount of time, Sayo was still worried.

"We'll put a toothpick in one to see if it's still wet on the inside." Tsugumi said with a smile. "And you'll be able to feel it."


	7. How can I trust you? - Sayo & Hina

Author Note: I am of the firm opinion that Sayo would talk to dogs in complete sentences. Written for day 3 of fictober.

* * *

"How can I trust you?" Sayo asked lowly, looking down at the target of her question. The recipient looked her dead in the eye, unblinking. "Do you promise to be good?" That was a loaded question.

Only a wire fence separated them.

The other member of this conversation's stubby tail wagged rapidly at the eye contact, tongue lolling out in excitement. The grey pit mix sat picture perfect, as if he'd never done anything wrong in his life. He was lying.

Sayo had started volunteering at this dog shelter because Hina suggested that they do it together and that it would be boppin'. It had sounded not completely terrible, so Sayo agreed. She'd been looking for something to do together with her sister anyway and this was a good opportunity. They signed up for a shift once a week and had been coming for the last month.

So far Sayo was enjoying it. Dogs were her favorite animal by far and it was nice to help with ones who didn't have a home. She particularly enjoyed feeding them, walking them, and talking to them when nobody was looking.

This dog, despite his bad behavior, was one of her favorites and based on the intensity of his tail wag he probably knew it.

Sayo couldn't win the staring contest, let alone resist those precious puppy dog eyes. She'd already finished her duties for the day with time to spare; what could it hurt?

"Fine you win." She conceded with a sigh and a smile. "I'll walk you before I go."

The dog stood immediately, stepping towards the gate as if ready to go right now. Sayo shook her head once at him; she still needed to get the leash. The leashes were stored in the office, so Sayo left the dog momentarily to fetch one.

Hina was already over there when she arrived, in the process of putting some toys away. Sayo could feel her twin's eyes follow her as she picked up the lead.

"Oh, you're walking Polly again?" Hina asked with a grin, probably able to tell just from the leash Sayo picked.

Sayo nodded without letting the annoyance of Hina guessing to show on her face. "He needs a walk." She insisted, mostly to convince herself.

"Can you trust him?" Hina posed the same question Sayo asked the dog before.

"Probably not." Sayo couldn't help but sigh. "But practice makes perfect. If nobody walks him, he won't get any better."

"Hmm." The younger twin contemplated the idea for a moment. "Kind of how like other people practice to play music, right?"

"Kind of?" Sayo thought about it for a moment as well. Her guitar playing had never been as rough around the edges as Polly's walking behavior, but she applied the same philosophy of hard work and practice towards improving it. "You're right, I suppose." She admitted reluctantly.

"I think I'm starting to understand." Hina said as a grin crept onto her face. "I'm done for the day, so I'll help you."

"Thank you." Sayo nodded in genuine appreciation, the previous topic left behind. "I'll meet you out front with him."

"Okay! You get the dog and I'll bring the shovel." Hina grabbed the aforementioned tool, holding it in front of her. It was relatively small, only a couple feet in length.

With that settled, Sayo took the leash back to the pen. Polly was sitting down again, licking his chops while he waited in what appeared to be a patient manner. He leapt up when Sayo entered his pen, closing the door behind her. She had little trouble hooking the leash to his collar and took him out of the pen with her.

He walked so well inside; it was almost a trick. Maybe he wouldn't do it today, Sayo hoped. She asked him to be good after all.

Hina was waiting in the front, ready to go. They set off together, the two of them and the dog, walking around the complex. They only made it about thirty feet before it began.

"Onee-chan, he's digging again." Indeed Polly had stopped at a patch of grass and was quickly destroying the top layer with his paws. Sayo pulled the leash to draw him away, but he was very strong and mostly ignored her.

"Of course he is."


	8. Take what you need - MocaRan

Author Note: My first Ranmoca, written for day 5 of fictober.

* * *

Moca put the chip bags on the shelf one at a time, aligning them just right before bumping them with the next bag. Her coworker, a teenage girl who went to a different school, was minding the counter. This left Moca to restock the shelves, of which she was doing a fantastic job.

She was in the slow process of stacking some cans in a perfect pyramid when the door dinged, heralding the entrance of a customer. From her vantage point of behind a shelf, Moca could see whoever came into the store without being spotted herself. She was in luck; a familiar face walked through the door.

Ran looked around as she entered, eyes skimming the store. Her lips tilted down into a frown as her eyes settled on the cashier. She hesitated almost imperceptibly, anyone but Moca would've missed it, before walking over to the magazine and office supplies shelf. She picked up a pen as if to contemplate purchasing it.

Moca couldn't help the slow grin creeping onto her face. How nice of Ran to come see her; she might as well give the girl what she clearly wanted.

Ignoring the disapproving stare of her coworker, Moca crept silently around the shelves to place herself behind Ran. She placed each foot slowly and took care to make as little noise as possible. Not that it mattered; even when her work shoes squeaked softly Ran didn't seem to notice.

She finished her approach, leaning in towards Ran's right ear to speak at just above a whisper. "Take what you need." Ran's shoulders seized up and she spun around, forcing Moca to take a step back. Her eyes were wide, but quickly narrowed.

Ran inhaled and lifted one hand in a pointing gesture, pen still in her grasp, but then seemed to think better of it and sighed. "So you were here." She said at her normal volume level.

"Of course." Moca smirked, standing up straight. "Moca-chan works very hard!"

"I can see that." Ran said dryly, spinning the pen between her fingers.

Moca tilted her head to the side. "What brings Ran to the store today? My wonderful presence?"

"N-no that's not it." The adorable flush that rose to Ran's cheeks contradicted her statement. "I was just looking for umm." Her eyes darted around, settling on the object in her hand. "A pen."

"Okaaaaay."

"You did say to take what I need, right?" Ran asked a question but didn't wait for Moca to answer it. "I'll be taking this then as payment for sneaking up on me. Pay up." She held one hand out, waiting patiently.

"Raaaan it's a joke." Even as she protested Moca fished a hundred-yen coin out of her pocket anyway, which was what the pen cost, depositing it in Ran's open palm. "It's nice doing business with you." She couldn't resist the urge.

"Likewise." Ran cracked a smile, and then cleared her throat. "Well, I'll see you later then. Practice starts at 7:00, don't be late."

"Aye-aye!" Moca gave a mock salute as Ran walked away to make her purchase at the counter.

This encounter would make for a fun story to tell the rest of the band about later.


	9. No worries, we still have time - Ako&Rin

Author Note: Written for day 7 of fictober. This is a prequel to the RinSayo I wrote recently, After Practice. You do not need to read the other one to understand this one, but I recommend it.

* * *

Packing up after rehearsal never took Ako very long. Since she borrowed the drum set for studio practice, all she needed to do was put the drumsticks in her bag. Once she was done she joined Rinko in packing up her piano, which took a little longer than the guitars due to its size. Lisa waved goodbye from the door, taking Yukina with her, right as Rinko finished up. Sayo, who was often the last to go, had put down her guitar and picked up a pencil. She was erasing something in her music, having put it on a music stand.

"Ready to go, Rinrin?" Ako asked as Rinko slung her piano bag on her back.

Rinko nodded once and they started walking towards the door.

"Sanctuary is so much fun to play!" Ako mimed a drumming motion with both hands. "Like bum ba dum, pow!" She reached up as if to hit a symbol in an exaggerated gesture.

"It's a nice song." Rinko responded quietly. "But I still… need to practice it more." The pair walked out into the lobby.

Ako towards Rinko mid-step. "No worries, we still have time." She said with a grin.

"I split today… from the guitar." A small frown sat on Rinko's face, her eyebrows drawn together. She adjusted her grip on the piano.

"You could talk to Sayo-san about that." If Rinko had noticed the tear, then Sayo certainly had as well. She was probably staying late to work on Sanctuary anyway, knowing her. "She's still here."

"I couldn't possibly… do that." Rinko emphasized her words by holding up both hands.

Ako wasn't having it. "She still had her guitar out. You should ask her to play it with you!" Actually, that was a better idea than just talking to her. Ako knew that both Rinko and Sayo were great musicians, and if they just played together they could fix whatever tearing problems they were having.

"But… Hikawa-san…" Rinko trailed off, casting her gaze away.

Ako stopped walking near the exit. "Sayo-san loves practicing, she'll be happy you'll see." She insisted, confident that she was right.

Rinko stopped a foot away and brought her hands together nervously. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! You can do it Rinrin, I'll walk to the station alone." Ako wouldn't take no for an answer. "I'll message you in game later. You've got this!"

"O-okay, I'll try." Hands still together, Rinko gave one firm nod.

Ako gave a big wave as she exited the front doors of the studio, watching for a moment as Rinko turned to walk back towards the practice room. This would go great, and she was sure Rinko would message her later that night about how good of a practice she had with Sayo.


	10. I know you do - YukiLisa

Written for day 8 of fictober.

* * *

The weekend before their next show was a busy time for Roselia. They had to make sure everything was in order with the venue and that their music was in tip top shape. This meant longer practices, which wasn't too big of a problem for Lisa. She made sure to schedule extra time in the studio, even more than what she thought they'd need, and to bring some snacks. She baked cookies especially for the occasion.

The chance to eat them arose when they took a break during rehearsal. After about two hours Lisa could feel the stiffness growing in her fingers and called for the group to rest. They still had a few hours of studio time left and they shouldn't burn themselves out.

Yukina agreed to the break, so the group locked their instruments in the rehearsal room and went out to the CiRCLE café. Lisa brought the cookies and, once they were settled at a table, passed them out to the members. That was to everyone except Yukina, who for some reason hadn't sat down.

"Have a seat." Lisa gestured to the only empty chair at the table, the one to her right. "You need a break too."

"I'll get drinks." Was how Yukina replied, which wasn't exactly a response to what Lisa had said but it was better than nothing. "What would you like?" Her gaze was directed towards Lisa.

"That's so nice Yukina!" Lisa grinned at her friend. "A cup of coffee would be great" She drank coffee sometimes when she was tired, but couldn't stand the taste of it black. "I take it with one cream and two sugars."

Yukina replied in her usual tone. "I know you do." Lisa's heart, which she hadn't been paying any attention to before this moment, thudded noticeably in her chest. She couldn't remember telling Yukina how she took her coffee, so how did she know? Yukina's gaze had already moved on to other members as a Lisa felt her cheeks warm. Yukina wasn't the type to bluff about these things, had she been watching?

Lisa watched her friend walk away from the table, that thought stuck in her mind. Ako called her name, exclaiming just how much darkness the cookies filled her with and snapping Lisa out of her thoughts. When she turned back to the group only Sayo looked mildly annoyed. Or maybe she was just tired it was hard to tell with Sayo. Lisa opened her cookies and ate one, agreeing that this batch turned out pretty good.

A few minutes later, Yukina returned with the drinks on a small tray. She brought tea for Sayo and herself, orange juice for Ako, and coffee for both Rinko and Lisa. The girls each thanked Yukina as she handed placed their drinks on the table and finally sat down. She was the last person to open her cookies, smiling softly for some reason Lisa couldn't parse.

Lisa picked up her coffee and took a sip.

It was perfect.


	11. But I will never forget! - KasuAri

Written for day 11 of fictober.

* * *

Arisa turned her piano on in a practiced motion, setting the volume low for warming up. Her bandmate, Kasumi, sat on the other side of the basement and was deeply involved in the process of tuning the strings on her guitar one by one. It took her a while since she was still learning, but she got better every day. The rest of their bandmates hadn't arrived yet. They probably got distracted by a cat or a chocolate coronet, Arisa thought as she started a scale. She could handle being alone with Kasumi until they arrived; she often was.

Kasumi strummed the strings of her guitar all together as Arisa finished the first scale.

"Hey Arisa!" Kasumi bounded towards her, almost smacking her guitar into the wall in the process. "Are you… wait…" She stopped mid step and mid word. "Never mind." Kasumi spun on her heel, almost touching the wall again, and retreated back to her original spot.

The whole interaction lasted only a few seconds and left Arisa feeling whiplashed. She was starting to rethink handling Kasumi alone.

"Hold up." Arisa raised one eyebrow as she called out to the other teen. "What do you want?"

Kasumi turned back towards Arisa sheepishly, hugging her guitar to her chest. "It's nothing." She chuckled, a forced sound to Arisa's ear. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to hang out after practice, but I remembered that you take care of the plants on Thursdays."

How surprisingly thoughtful of her and how unusual. "You remembered that?" Arisa asked, unable to keep the incredulousness out of her tone. Since when had Kasumi known her schedule?

"You may think I don't remember things," Kasumi puffed up her chest. "But I will never forget!" She lifted one hand in a fist, and was lucky that her guitar was strapped over her shoulder or it would've clattered to the ground.

Arisa's cheeks warmed, either in second hand embarrassment or something else. "Didn't that just happen?" She scoffed.

"It won't happen again!" Kasumi insisted with a grin.

The sound of footsteps came from above, signaling the arrival of at least one other band member. They brought a stray animal with them, turned out to be a dog and not a cat. Arisa made Tae take it back outside, ignoring the crocodile tears.

Soon rehearsal would begin, minus the dog and plus Kasumi having to retune her guitar. Afterward, just as Kasumi said, Arisa would groom her plants.


End file.
